Hindus of Kerala eat Beef and here's why!

Hindus generally consider cow as a holy animal that they avoid eating beef. But this isn't true for Hindus of Kerala, a southern state of India known for its high literacy rate and Human Development Index.

People of Kerala have been eating beef for generations even before Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam came to the land.

This is the map of Chera kingdom in the Sangam Period (4th century BCE–2nd century CE).

It is estimated that the first wave of Brahmin migration came to the Chera kingdom around the 3rd century BCE behind the Jain and Buddhist missionaries[1]. During those times, most of the Chera population followed native Dravidian practices. Chera’s worshiped mother goddess Kottavai (assimilated into the present day form of the goddess Devi while Hinduism became the prominent religion).[2] It is estimated that only in the 8th century CE that the Aryanisation of the Chera dynasty reached its climax. [3]

Let’s understand more about the society and religion of Chera’s before Hinduism became prominent. [4], [5]

1. The division of the society into castes and communities was conspicuously absent and practices of untouchability and exclusiveness were unknown.
2. There was the dignity of labour accorded to all work and no one was looked down upon due to their work or occupation.
3. Women enjoyed freedom of movement as well as the right to full education.
4. Child marriage was unknown in the early Sangam era and adult marriage was the general rule. The practice of 'bride-price', where the groom would pay the girl's parents, appears to be prevalent in the time.
5. Women were free to follow any occupation though most of them were involved in weaving or the sale of goods. A martial spirit was pervasive and women even went to the battlefield along with the men, largely playing a key role in keeping up the morale of the fighting forces.
6. Agriculture was the primary occupation of the people and Rice was the main staple of the people. Fish and red meat were also eaten liberally.
7. Music, poetry, and dancing provided entertainment for the people. And poets and musicians were held in high regard in society.

Besides that, Cheras also had a powerful administration, where each village under the kingdom had local court-equivalents. The dynasty also had a well-equipped army which consisted of infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots. They were also in possession of impressive navy fleet which was regarded as one of the most powerful in the Sangam era.[7] Foreign trades between Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Phoenicia and Arabia were also evident.[8]

Chera dynasty had a well-developed society and administration during the Sangam Period, before Hinduism came into the picture.

Now if you read a bit about the process of acculturation, it is known that if a dominant culture meets an already well-developed one, the rate of acculturation will be lower than when it meets an underdeveloped one. And talking specifically about the influence of acculturation on food, researchers believe that food habits are discreet and practiced privately, and change occurs slowly as consumption of new food items is affected by the availability of native ingredients, convenience, and cost. [9]

This is fundamentally why Hindus of Kerala have been eating beef for centuries unlike Hindus of the rest of the world.

Adapted from one of my answers from Quora. My Quora profile

Reference

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[1]: Indian Anthropologist: Journal of the Indian Anthropological Association By Indian Anthropological Association, pg 104
[2]: Cultural Heritage of Kerala, pg 17
[3]: Cultural Heritage of Kerala, pg 10
[4]: A.Sreedhara Menon (2012) - A Survey of Kerala History, pg 77
[5]: A.Sreedhara Menon (2012) - A Survey of Kerala History, pg 78
[6]: A.Sreedhara Menon (1987). Political History of Modern Kerala. D C Books. pg 22
[7]: A.Sreedhara Menon (2012) - A Survey of Kerala History, pg 75
[8]: Hermann Kulke (28 October 2004). A History of India. Psychology Press. pg 105.
[9]: Kittler, Sucher, Pamela, Kathryn P. (2008). Food and Culture. Thomson Wadsworth.